


exactly the same way

by mustlovelance



Series: love me like you do [4]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M, Happy Ending, Insecure Lance (Voltron), Miscommunication
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-02
Updated: 2018-03-02
Packaged: 2019-03-25 21:11:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13843128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mustlovelance/pseuds/mustlovelance
Summary: Allura has sought the Blue Lion's counsel and formulated a plan to date Lance, but there seems to be something amiss.





	exactly the same way

**Author's Note:**

> This is the last part of the series, which I actually managed to finish before season 5! I hope you guys like it.

As soon as Allura had settled into the chair, she found herself tapping her fingers against the armrests. This wasn’t exactly an easy topic to broach.  

The Blue Lion’s hum swept through Allura. It had been so exciting to finally hear Blue’s voice for the first time, but now, her voice felt like a relief. Allura exhaled slowly.

“Blue Lion, I came here this morning to seek your advice,” Allura said. She paused, clasping her hands together on her lap. “On the matter of…Lance.” Allura felt an energy spike in the air as soon as she said his name.

“You see…I wish to…” She sighed, straightening her posture. “I wish to ‘go out’ with him.” There was a hum of confusion from Blue. “Ah, I mean—date? Interact with romantically?” There was a hum of understanding—and a vision of Lance blushing and sprawled out on Nyma’s lap. “Yes, like that, but more…serious.” Allura stared down at her lap.

“I’m afraid I don’t know how to go about asking him,” Allura said. “I have no experience in this area...” Allura smiled a bit and lifted her head. “I know that you don’t either—unless there’s something you aren’t telling me—but I thought, since you know him best, you might know what I should do.”

Allura was flooded with visions of Lance’s various flirting attempts that Blue had witnessed—including the attempts with Blue herself that had made her so happy. Blue certainly did miss her former paladin. 

“So…you’re saying…I should just do what he used to do?” Allura asked, frowning slightly. “Or, I suppose…” She leaned her elbow against the armrest so she could rest her chin against her hand. “…to think like Lance?” Blue sent a hum of confirmation; it felt like there was a cat curled up on her chest. “Ah yes, perhaps I’m overthinking this. It may be as simple as…flirting with him.”

Allura rose from the chair, fist clenched and eyes bright with determination.

“Thank you, Blue Lion.”

-

“You all know your positions, correct?” Allura crouched down in front of the mice, scrutinizing each of their expressions. They all looked confident as they saluted her. “Excellent.” She stood up and watched them scurry away, two in either direction of the hallway.

Allura leaned against the wall of the hallway, glancing towards the direction of the living room every few seconds. Inviting him to her room was far too intimate, and asking him to meet her somewhere felt too dramatic.

Instead, she would simply monitor his movements and wait in the hallway that he was sure to walk through to reach his bedroom, while sending out the mice to survey the perimeter and alert her to anyone else’s presence. Subtle.  

When Allura heard footsteps, she snapped to attention. Lance came into view a few seconds later, an arm stretched over his head and a hand over his mouth as he yawned.

He looked very cute.

“Lance!” Allura called, waving a hand at him—like a fool. She lowered her hand, giving him an uneasy smile.

“Oh, uh, hey Allura!” Lance said. He let his arm fall to his side as he approached her. “What’s up?” He quirked a brow at her. “I don’t usually see you down this way...”

“Um, well, you see—”

Allura clasped her hands together behind her back. Why was it that she’d memorized countless diplomatic speeches to present to the coalition, but her mind went blank when she tried to remember the handful of pickup lines she’d chosen? She knew she should have brought note cards!

Lance frowned, tilting his head as he stepped closer.  

“Are you al—”

“Um, are you—are you a moon? Because, even when it’s dark, you seem to shine!”

Lance went still and silent.

“If I—if I had a star for every time you made me smile, I’d have a galaxy in my hand.” Allura added in a wink for good measure.

More staring. Had she said one of the lines wrong? Or maybe both? Her mind went blank again. _Think_ , Allura, _think_.

“Lance, you’re activating my…”

Allura forced a smile. Well that was just lazy, reusing _his_ lines! She’d done this all wrong, but hopefully he wouldn’t mind much.

“Allura, I’m—I’m sorry.” Lance’s voice cracked on the last syllable as he just barely avoided her gaze.

“…What?”

“For…for all the stuff I used to say to you.” He rubbed at the back of his neck as he stared down at the floor. “I know you don’t—I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable. I guess I was just…” He looked over at her, staring right into her eyes. “—but I’m over it now, I swear.”

“…over it?” Allura blinked quickly. Her eyes stung all of a sudden. “Oh. I see. That’s—”

The familiar squeaking of the mice pulled Allura out of her daze and back into reality. They rushed over to her from both sides, telling her to leave with them.

“Excuse me—it seems I have to go,” Allura said. She turned around and speed-walked down the hallway back towards her room, with the mice following at her heels.

-

Allura buried her face in the pillow, arms wrapped tight around it. She could barely hear the mice squeaking their reassurances over her own crying, but she could feel the weight of them on her back and the tugs on her hair. Apparently, they thought this was the perfect time to style her hair—or attempt to, at least.

A sense of calm swept over her as she lifted her head from the pillow to stare at her headboard.

She was crying. Not because her father and so many other people she’d loved were dead. Not because she’d never smell juniberries again. Not because she’d gotten lost in the eyes of a child whose innocence the Galra Empire had stolen. Not because she wasn’t prepared to lead a rebellion. Not because her father’s lion, the last connection to him, had rejected her.

She was crying because the boy she liked didn’t like her back. How _silly_.

Allura took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

Everything with Lance had seemed so simple. It was why she wanted to be around him as much as possible. When she discussed complicated matters with him, he always reminded her of what was important. When she let herself ignore the complicated matters, he always made her smile and laugh. She could just be _Allura_ , a simple teenage girl.

Even when he made her cry, it felt so simple.

“Human boys are stupid,” Allura mumbled. When she heard the mice squeak their agreement, she smiled into the pillow. 

-

Allura had dreaded dinner even before she’d looked in the mirror and realized what exactly the mice had done to her hair. It had taken so long to make herself presentable that she ended up walking into the kitchen a few minutes late.

Her eyes, still a bit red, were drawn towards Lance, who had taken to staring at his plate as if it contained the secrets of the universe.

“Oh, hey Allura!” Hunk said, waving at her with a spork in his hand. “What kept you?”

“Is everything alright, princess?” Coran asked. Allura sat down at the empty seat beside him.

“I’m fine,” she said. “The mice…distracted me.”

“Blaming being late on the mice, huh?” Pidge asked, grinning at her. “That seems more Lance’s style.” She glanced towards him, frowning a bit when she realized he hadn’t even looked up. “Uh, Lance? You there?” She prodded his cheek until he turned towards her. 

“Huh?” Lance blinked. “Oh, yeah, sorry. I was just thinking.”

“And _that_ seems more Allura’s style,” Pidge said, grinning again. “Don’t hurt yourself, alright?” Lance offered her a smile but went right back to focusing on his plate.

It felt strange not to have Lance’s eyes on her.  

Allura picked up her spork and shoveled some food into her mouth. Hunk’s dish may as well have been food goo for all that she tasted of it.

This was all her fault—she’d made assumptions, and now it was awkward. Lance wouldn’t let this ruin their friendship after he processed it, but this silence was painful.  

“Uh, Allura?” Pidge quirked a brow at her. “Why are you trying to eat air?”

Allura glanced down at her spork, which was as empty as her plate. Her face felt warm as she dropped her spork onto her plate with a _clink_.

“Ah, well—I suppose that’s my cue to leave,” Allura said.

“Do you want seconds?” Hunk asked, leaning in her direction. “I mean, we have plenty…”

“No, no, that’s alright,” Allura said. She rose to her feet and offered him a smile. “Thank you though. I’ll see you all at training tomorrow morning.”

 Coran’s eyes followed her the longest, and Lance’s didn’t follow her at all.

-

Allura had fended off Coran’s concern that night, but he approached with renewed determination first thing in the morning. That was enough to prompt Allura to get this all over with; Coran’s romantic advice was likely to confuse her more than anything, and it would soon be impossible to avoid.

This time, Allura approached Lance in a place where they were unlikely to be interrupted, even without the mice’s assistance—the Red Lion’s hangar. Lance had been spending more and more time in here, now that she thought about it.

“Lance, could I speak with you for a moment?” When he turned around to face her, she forced herself to make eye contact, but he didn’t return the gesture.  

“Oh, uh, sure.” He slid down the Red Lion’s paw until he was sitting on one of her claws.

“About last night…” Allura took a deep breath and approached the Red Lion and her paladin. Her chest felt tight as she sat next to him. It wasn’t the most comfortable seat, but that only incentivized her to make this conversation brief.

It also reminded her how small they were—both of them.

“Lance, I—” Allura sighed. “You have so many qualities that I deeply admire, and you always know the right thing to say, and you make me laugh even when I’m feeling sad.” Despite herself, she smiled. “I appreciate our friendship and our time together, and I know that you do as well. While I’ve…been made aware that you don’t feel _exactly_ the same way, I hope—”

“Waitwaitwait—” Lance held up his hands, making eye contact with her finally. “Exactly the same way? What do you mean?”  

“I mean, what I said last night.” Allura felt her face heat up but she didn’t look away. “That way.”

“You…were serious?” Lance’s breath caught as he leaned towards her. Those blue eyes were mesmerizing up close. 

“…um, yes.” Allura knitted her brows.

“Were you… _flirting_ with me?”

“Of course! What did you think I was doing?”

Lance threw his arms up with a frustrated huff.

“I thought you were just messing with me!”

Allura gave him an unimpressed look.  

“So, you…you _like_ me?” he asked. His voice was a few pitches higher than usual as he gawked at her. “Like, like like?”

“Well, obviously. But also, romantically.”

“Oh my god I’m such an idiot.” His words slurred together as he covered his face with his hands.

Allura frowned.

“Lance, you are _not_ —”

“Nonono, I mean—” Lance pulled his hands away, staring down at them instead. “I…I _do_ feel exactly the same way.”

“Then…why did you…” Allura’s voice cracked. “You said you were ‘over it.’ Over… _me_ …that way.”

“I was uh. I was lying.” Slowly, he raised his head, until he was meeting her gaze again. He looked so _sad_ , it made her chest hurt. “I know I was…annoying, before, and I guess I just didn’t know what to think when you were saying the same kind of things. I thought you wanted space or something.”

“You didn’t like the pickup lines?” Allura pouted a bit. She’d spent an hour in the library trying to pick out the best ones!

“Nonono, they were great! I just…didn’t think _you_ did. Like them, I mean.”

“Blue told me they would be a good idea…” Allura scowled, kicking at the air.

Lance’s expression turned sour.

“Of course she did…”

“Is…something wrong?”

“I just—Blue shut me out, remember? She didn’t want me anymore.” His voice was harsh for a moment, but then it softened. “And I mean, you’re _great_ with her, and I’m happy for you, but I…” He pulled his legs up off the ground to pull his knees to his chest, resting his head on his arms. “We don’t have a connection anymore. She didn’t want me to hear her anymore. What does she even know about me now?”

Allura felt her face fall as the pieces fell into place. She reached over to squeeze Lance’s shoulder, letting out a sigh of relief when he didn’t move away.

“Lance…please trust me when I say she still wanted you,” Allura said. “Still _wants_ you, actually. I was only able to talk to her when I thought like _you_. She thinks about you all the time.” Lance looked up at her; she could see the tears threatening to fall.

“She does…? But she…” He rubbed his eyes with one hand.

“Clearly, she needs to work on _communication_ ,” Allura groused, squeezing Lance’s shoulder again. “Perhaps you two would benefit from a _conversation_.”

“Yeah…” Lance’s voice sounded far away, but he hadn’t started crying, so Allura considered it a victory.

Allura pulled her hand off his shoulder and rested her hands on her thighs. She gave Lance a sideways glance and a nervous smile.

“So, um, if you…feel the same way…would you like to—”

“Allura.” Lance reached over to rest a hand on top of hers, staring right at her, just like he had when he’d told her he was _glad it was her, that was all her_. “Nothing would make me happier. I still feel like this is a _dream_ …” He sighed, smiling to himself. “But I kind of just…need a friend right now.”

“Of course! Lance, above anything else, you will always be a dear friend to me.” Her expression softened. “I hope you know that.”

“I do.”

As soon as Lance uncurled himself, Allura leaned over and hugged him, savoring the way she felt all the tension seep out of him as he hugged her back.  

-

Ever since Lance had communicated with Blue again, he’d been much happier. The sight was enough to make a girl feel _bold_.

Allura set her helmet down on the ground, keeping an eye on the trio in front of her.

“Lance, that was _awesome_ , dude!” Hunk wrapped his arms around Lance and _squeezed_ , lifting him up into the air. Lance winced but made no effort to shove him away, managing a smile through it all.

“It _was_ pretty cool,” Pidge admitted, hands on her hips. As soon as Hunk released Lance from his grip—and how was it that he lowered Lance to the ground so carefully when he’d been squeezing him so tightly moments before?—Pidge elbowed Lance’s side with a smirk, laughing out loud when he twitched. “ _Sharpshooter_.”

When Allura glanced over towards Shiro, she could have sworn he was smiling, but she might have imagined it.  

“Soooo, does this mean you’ll make garlic knots tonight?” Lance asked, giving Hunk an imploring look.

“I’ll make it happen somehow,” Hunk vowed.

Allura stepped towards Lance, eyes narrowed slightly.

“Lance, would you remove your helmet for a moment?” she asked.

“Uh…” Lance turned towards her, blinking slowly. “Sure?” He pulled off his helmet and tucked it under his arm.

His hair was a mess and there was dirt dusted across his face, but he still seemed to shine. Allura smiled softly at him.

“I wanted to give you something,” she said.

“Give me…uh…what?”

Allura stepped in at an angle, closing her eyes as she pressed her lips against his cheek. When she pulled away, she caught sight of those funny ears of his, turning redder by the second.

“ _That_.”

As she turned away, heart pounding in her chest, she heard the familiar _clank_ of a helmet dropping to the ground, accompanied by that strangled noise she’d grown so fond of.

“Lance, buddy? Ohmygod! Did that just happen? Ohmygod!”

More strangled noises.

“ _Ugh_! Allura, I think you broke him!”

Allura pressed a finger to her lips and smiled.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much to those of you who have read the entire series! It took a lot longer than I thought, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I was eager to post this before season 5, so I might add onto this later. Anyway, onto season 5!


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